Hand-car



(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. ROBERTS.

HAND GAR.

Nb. 455,577. Patented July 7, 1891.

the platform and (letachably secured in posiuseful Improvements inHand-Cars, of which zen of the United States, residing at Three Riversin the county of St. Joseph and State I UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

CYRUS ROBERTS, OF THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN.

.HAND

-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 455,577,- dated July 7,1891.

' Application filed August 8, 1890-- To all whom it. flutyconcern:

Be it known that I, CYRUS ROBERTS, a citiof Michigan, have inventedcertain newand the following is a specification,a'eference being hadtherein to theaccompanying drawings This invention relates to new anduseful improvementsin hand-cars; and the object of the invention is toso constructa hand-car thatit will have all the advantages of a socalledpush-car, the latter being generally used on railroads for transportingmaterial of all kinds in the construction and maintenance of theroad-bed and track.

Hand-cars as at present constructed are not available for that purposeon account of the more or less obstructing propelling mechanism, .thepropelling-levers of which especially interfere with the transporting,loading, and unloading of the material.

The prime object of my invention is to construct a car having leversprojecting above tion, whereby the platform may be cleared, incombination with a driving mechanism having formed therein a clutch,whereby when the levers are in position and the clutch is engaged my carmay be used as a handcar, and whereby when the levers are detached andthe clutch is disengaged the car maybe used as a push-car.

To this end myin vention consists, primarily, in the novel constructionand arrangement of the propelling-levers,and, second, in the generalarrangement of the propelling-gear, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed,and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isaplan of a hand-car provided with myimproved propelling levers andmechanism. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detachedperspective view showing one of the propelling-levers out of engagementwith the propelling-shaft. Fig. 4 is a crosssection on line a: x inFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail section through the connection of one of theside levers with the handle-bars. Fig. 6 is a detached perspective oftheparts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detached side elevation SerialNo.361,491. (No model.)

platform B extending, preferably, intact over,

the top of the frame, which is provided with the handles C for liftingit off the track. Be: low the platform is journaled in suitable bearingstransversely the car the drive-shaft D,

which projects beyond the sides of the plat-. form and is provided atits ends with brackshown.

Fare propelling side levers detachably secured upon the brackets bymeans of apertures G, formed in the lower ends of the side levers, andinto which the brackets tightly fit when the parts are in operativeengagement, as in Fig. 4.

Instead of making the propelling side levers entirely disconnected fromthebrackets, I prefer to have each lever permanently attached to itsbracket, so that it may be thrown out of engagem ent'with its bracketand turned out of the way-as, for instance, shown in Fig. 2, where oneof the levers is shown resting with its. free-end upon one of thewheels, while the other is still connected to the bracket. Inthis'position the lever is out of the way for loading and unloading,while-at the same time itis easily restored into position and saves theworkmen the trouble of taking care of it when disengaged. Any means toobtain this end may be used. the drawings I show each lever engaged in aslot H, formed in the lowerend of its bracket, and locked therein by atransverse pin H, which is secured to a spring H, so that it may beentirely disengaged, if necessary, for repair or otherwise.

The propelling-gear consists of a rock-arm J, secured near one end ofthe drive-shaft D and connected by a pitman K with. a crank L on theintermediate shaft M, which latter is suitably journaled below theplatform of the car. This intermediate sh'aft M has a ets or arms E,preferably of a wedge form, as

gear-wheelN, which engages with the pinion 0 on one of the axles. Thispinion, which slides on the axle, is prevented from turning when engagedby a suitable clutch or feather on the axle and is controlled by aleverPfor ISO I one lever alone if the other is detached.

throwing it in or out of gear. The lever 1 preferably projects below oneedge of the platform for the convenience of the workmen.

. is prevented from being screwed off by rivetheadingthe upper end ofthe pin. The clamping-nut is preferably provided with a conical seat eon its under side and with a handle f for turning it.

The handle is preferably composed of two handle-bars I, secured to thebrackets L by means of sleeves g, through which the handle-bars project.Each bracket has a recess h for the pin a, of the lever to engage intoand to be clamped thereto. by tightening the nut c. The levers Fpreferably incline inwardly to shorten the distance between thebrackets, so that the handle-bars are amply strong without bracing, andalso to permit of extending the handle-bars beyond the brackets, so asto aiford a better hold for working the handles by a workman walking onthe ground beside the car.

In practice, the parts being constructed as shown and described, it willfirst be observed that the whole platform is intact and available forcarrying material thereon without interfering with the use of thepropelling mechanism. Should it be required to load material, it will beseen that after disengaging one of the propelling-levers from the handlethe lever may be slipped off the bracket E and turned out of the way, soas to permit loading the car with ties or other bulky material with thesame facility as with a push-car, and when the car is loaded thepropellinglever may then be readily restored into operative position. Atthe place where it is desired to unload the workmen propelling the carmay disengagev the propelling-lever on the side on which it is intendedto unload, and after the unloading is accomplished they may eitherrestore the propelling-lever into position or, if they only want to go alittle distance.as where ties have to be strung along the road at shortdistances apartthey may proceed with the help of the propelling-leverstill in position. Each propelling-lever when disengaged from itsbracketmaybe rested upon one of the wheels,

and thus save the workmen the trouble of dismounting in restoring it.

Should anything prevent the use of the propelling mechanism, the workmenmay throw vthe propelling mechanism out of gear by means of the lever P,(which has a suitable locking mechanism) and thus push the car along thetrack in the usual manner of proceeding with a push-car.

An especial advantage ofmy construction is. the easy manner with whichthe propelling-levers F may be mounted and dismounted from thebrackets-to permit loading and unloading, so that my hand-car, whileaffording the same facilities as a push-car for transporting material,has the added advantage of the propelling mechanism, the use of whichwill be welcome-to workmen whenever available.

In a patent granted tome June 10,1890, No. 429,902,I have shownahand-car in which there are side levers detachably secured to the endsof an oscillating drive-shaft, and

therefore I do not broadly claim this construction; but what I want toclaim is the improvement thereon of having the side levers separatelydetachable, so that one can be used, and, further, of having the sidelevers connected to their brackets in such a manner that they may bereadily detached therefrom and then turned down below the level of theplatform or folded against the sides of the car, so as to be out of theway and again easily restored into position, thus saving the workmen thetrouble of taking care of either the levers or ofthe handle, whichlatteris firmly held by one lever alone.

By means of the shiftinglever the propelling mechanism may be thrown outof gear, and the car may be pushed along even if the propelling-leversshould be held fast by the load.

The brackets are made of such suitable form that when the levers areslipped over the same they become firmly bound and have no lost motionor any tendency to become loose or rattle. This is very easilyaccomplished with proper workmanship by the construction described, andto prevent lateral motion stops i are placed on the brackets, againstwhich the levers firmly rest.

The spirit of my invention in relation to the side levers consists,broadly, in making the side levers independently detach ble from theconnecting-handle and from the drive-shaft. so that either side of theplatform may be disclosed for loading or unloading while the lever onthe other side is still in operative engagement with the drive-shaft.Specifically, my invention further consists in having one end of each(preferably the lower one) loosely attached, so that the lever may beturned or folded out of the way to save the trouble of taking care of itand in restoring it and to do away with the liability of mislaying orlosing it. WVhile I have only described and shown the levers connectedin this manner to the drive-shaft, it is obvious that they may be madetodisconnect entirely from the drive-shaft and be provided with somesuitable connection with the handle,

each side lever to its bracket on the driveshaft. I11 thismodificationthe lower end of the side lever engages into a slotted eyebolt 0, whichis Secured inthe bracket. m inth'e eyebolt. is of restricted size, and areduced portion n is'formed on the lever,

whereby any accidental disengagement is v prevented, while at the sametime the lever,

if desired, may be disengaged by registering the reduced portion 01 ot'the lever with the slot in the eyebolt and drawing it out.

An important part of my invention (the object of which is, broadly, tomake a combined hand and push car) consists in providing the propellingmechanism with means for dlsconnecting'from the axle. No matter how thepropelling mechanism is constructed it may happen, if the load is bulky,that it not only deprives the workmen of the necessary room to work thelevers, but that it interferes with the free play of the leversor withthe cross-bar, so that the car cannot even be pushed. -For such a.contingencyI provide the sliding pinion on the axle or, any othersuitable-clutch or means for the purpose of disconnecting the propellingmechanism from the axle, and this may be either adjusted by hand or ahand-lever may be provided for it,

as described heretofore. In connection with my side levers there is-anespecial advantage in thus disconnecting the propelling mechanism, as itpermits'of using the levers as side stakes to hold, and as indisconnecting them from the drive-shaft they .fall away to the outsidethey cannot interfere with the unloading. a j

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a railway hand-car, a propellingmechanism having a drive-shaft jonrnaled transthereof, two propellingside levers having independently-detachable connection at their .upperends to a handle and at theirlower ends to the endsof the drive shaft,and means whereby each lever maybe turned out of the way and supportedat .one end, substantially as described. 1

3. In a railway hand-car, a propelling mechanism having a drive-shaftjournaled transversely below the car. and provided with brackets on thesides of the car, two propelling side levers provided with apertures attheirlower ends for detachably engaging with said brackets, and ahandle-bar to which the upper ends of said levers are separatelydetachably connected, substantially as described.

The slot 4. jln a railway hand-car,- a propelling mech- 5 anism having adrive-shaft ournaled trans? versely belowthe car andv extending to thesides thereof, brackets secured to the ends of saiddrive-shaft,propelling side'lev-ers detachably engaging said brackets bymeans of apertures formed in' the lower ends of said levers, and a'permanent connection between said brackets and the lower ends of thesaid side levers, whereby the latter remain" at tached to the bracketswhen disengaged there-j from, substantially as described.

5. In a hand-car, the combination, with a propelling mechanism Y havingactuating-levers extending above. theplatform, of intermediate drivingmechanism between said levers and one of. the axles, and a clutch'on theaxle forthrowing the driving mechanism in and out of gear with the axle,substantially as described.

6. In a railway hand-car, a platform,-a propelling mechanism having anoscillating drive-shaft journaled transversely below the platform andextending to the sides of the car, .two propelling side levers engagingwith the ends of said drive-shaft for actuating the same andbeinginwardlyinclined'toward the center of the car, and a handleconnecting the upper'ends of said side levers and projecting beyond thepoint of connection to the, sides of the car, substantially asdescribed.

7. In'a railway'hand-car, the propelling mechanism having theoscillatingdrive-shaft journaled transversely the car and extending tothe sides thereof, the brackets E, secured to the ends of thedrive-shaft, the propelling side lever F, engaging said brackets bymeansof apertures G, formed in their lower ends, the "handle bar or bars I,and the brackets L, in which the handle-bars are secured and to whichthe upper ends of the side lovers are detachably clamped,substantially'as described.

mechanism having the oscillating drive-shaft journaled transversely thecar and extending to the sides thereof, the propelling, side levers'detachably engaging with the ends of said IOC ' IIO 8. In a railwayhand-car, the propelling drive-shaft, the handle bar or bars I, the

brackets L, in which said handle bar or bars are securedythe recesses hin said brackets, the pins a on the side -levers, adapted to engage intosaid recesses, and the clamping-nuts c for detachably securing the sidelevers to j the brackets, substantially as described.

9. In a railway hand-car, the propelling mechanism having theoscillating drive-shaft journaled transversely the .car and extending tothe sides thereof, the wedgeshaped brack ets E, secured to the ends ofsaid drive-shaft,- the propelling side levers provided with apertures Gfor detachably engaging said brack-' ets, and the slots formed in thelower ends of 7 said brackets and in which the side leversare supported,substantially as described. 7

10. In a ban d-car, the combination, with the propelling mechanismhaving actuating-levers extending above the platform, of interanismbetween said actuating mechanism and mediate driving mechanism betweenthe leone of the axles, a clutch in said driving vers and one of theaxles, a clutch on one of mechanism, and a lever for actuating said theaxlesfor throwing the drivingmechanism clutch, whereby the car may beused as a 15 5 in and out of gear with the axle, and a handhand or pushcar.

lever for actuating the clutch from the plat- In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in form, substantially as described. presence ofwitnesses.

11. In a hand-car, the combination, with the CYRUS ROBERTS. propellingmechanism extending above the \Vitnesses: 10 platform, detachablysecuredin position to M. B. ODOGHERTY,

clear the same,0f intermediate driving mech- JAMES WHITTEMORE.

